Sanity

I

In desperation, once, I traded my every passion for one shred of sanity,

And gripping that shred with both hands
Passionless I did wander.

One night the rain woke me sleeping.

I cannot hold both my sanity and your hair with one hand;
So madness overtakes me.

II

As I wander mad
My kingdom thrives.

All the pale yellow hills glow green again.
As do I.

At night that green flame swells to rival the void expanding above.
As do I.

And in the morning the oak tree stretches towards the sun.
As do I.

And the beating of a thousand wings overwhelms your senses.
As do I.

And the pulsing river is eager to fill the empty lakebed.
As am I.

And the ardent white pollen that permeates all else fills you.
As do I.

And the snowcap Sierras shine at a distance.
As do I.

And all the pale dead things that have rotted are new again.
As am I.

III

You would not leave the city with me
To chase the mountains east.

I did not understand what you said before I left.

But I saw the hysterical terror in you face
When I raved of the fire that consumes all.

Perhaps I am mad.

The fire you wince at half blinded
Is the same flame that binds us all.

And if you fear that pure heat;
There is no mercy from fear.